The German painter Ernst Deger was born near Hildesheim in 1809. In 1828 he began studying at Berlin’s Kunstakademie, but soon transferred to the academy in Düsseldorf instead. He was a representative of the Düsseldorf School, known for his paintings on Christian themes distinguished by their serene compositions and harmonious colouring. With his painting Regina Coeli, from 1836/1837, he became the most prominent of the Düsseldorf Nazarenes. A further high point in his career was the commission to paint the new Saint Apollinaris Church in Remagen. Many of his religious works were widely reproduced, especially in the form of votive images in prayer books. Between 1837 and 1841 he travelled in Italy. He began teaching at Düsseldorf’s art academy in 1860 and became a professor of religious history painting in 1869. Deger died in Düsseldorf in 1885.
